1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a container-transporting system having rails on a track, a linear motor and turnable wheels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The invention can be used wherever containers are moved in a fully automatic manner by way of rail-bound linear-motor-driven transporting carriages. The invention is suitable for transportation in the longitudinal and transverse directions on predetermined, level terrain where it is necessary, in an environmentally friendly manner and without any significant amount of maintenance, to move containers quickly in the longitudinal and transverse directions. For example, the invention is useful in sorting stations in unloading facilities in docks or else between ships and road vehicles or rail vehicles or between any number of one of these types of vehicle.
Installations for transporting containers on flat terrain are known. For example, German reference DE 44 07 999 A1 describes a running-gear unit which is intended for any desired changes in direction without switches and is suitable for use in automatic multi-story car parking garages. By means of linear-drive mechanisms, load-bearing pallets are transported in different directions, longitudinally and transversely, on guide profiles. The installation has the disadvantage that pivotable supporting rollers, which are arranged at the corners of the pallets, are not suitable for the very high loads transported in containers, since the energy required for pivoting the rollers is very high. Furthermore, a wide track is required in order to change the direction of the rollers for travelling in the opposite direction.
Furthermore, German reference DE 195 03 878 A1 proposes an installation which is intended for changes in direction without points and in which pivotable supporting rollers, which are enclosed by a single guide element, are arranged on pallets which can transport containers. In this example too, the installation is one in which, by means of pivoting rollers at all four corners, pallets are moved by linear motor, and the above mentioned disadvantages of the prior art are not eliminated.